Green Asteroid Diplomacy
by Pikablukachu
Summary: Fan-sequel to "Trojan Green Asteroid". Both Gensokyo and the Lunar Capital notice unusual activity on an abandoned space station, and Yukari Yakumo sees this as a rare opportunity to strengthen diplomatic relations between them.


_**(Notes: Important: This is a sequel to the story from "Trojan Green Asteroid", ZUN's Secret Sealing Club music CD. This fic is written under the assumption that you have read Trojan Green Asteroid first, and is far more enjoyable if you do.**_

_**It's a short read and you can find it on Touhou Wiki, so please do!**_

_**I really liked the previous timeskip-type stuff I did and wanted to try that again in a less depressing setting. After checking out the stories on ZUN's music CDs, Trojan Green Asteroid was one I found particularly fascinating. Due to both the story itself and the tracks "Ame-no-torifune Shrine' and "The Barrier of Ame-no-torifune Shrine', I was hit with inspiration to do an interesting timeskip story based on it!**_

_**This story does include a couple of OCs, but they're both characters who would most likely exist in canon anyway, so I hope they fit snugly into the story and Touhou's universe. I'm not great with OCs, so I hope you like them.**_

_**As always, there will be a glossary of terms at the end, and I welcome both constructive and positive feedback. Enjoy!)**_

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A green forest, as wild as it is beautiful.

Extraordinary plant-life thrived, alive with the busy scuttling of bizarre insects the likes of which humanity had scarcely seen before, or the likes of which had only been preserved in textbooks.

A secret forest of strange lifeforms like this could only exist in this day and age if it were completely undisturbed, untouched, nigh-forgotten by humanity.

Or in this case; abandoned. Forgotten out of choice, hastily swept under the rug without double-checking, like every other high-cost "mistake" humanity had made regarding space.

Left alone.

And so it was for decades. Left to drift alone through existence. Left to thrive. Left without a modicum of interference.

At least, not until recently.

An iridescently-coloured bird, its wings a little too small for any kind of long flight in normal gravity, suddenly paused from its meal and zipped its head around. The surrounding air suddenly felt... different.

With a sharp call, the creature and its gaggle abandoned the jackpot of insects and hopped away swiftly into the safety of the bushes. The food could always wait until later.

Because when something changed in this isolated forest, dozens of thousands of miles away from Earth, every living creature and plant could tell.

The eerily still air in the space the birds had fled from slowly slipped apart, as if a zip were gently unfurling reality itself. A single, disembodied finger peeked out from through the gaps in space, easing reality apart further. A couple of red, decorative ribbons tied the slices in the air together, so as not to let reality clumsily continue cutting itself clean open.

The 'disembodied finger' emerged from the gap in space, bringing with it a dainty, white-gloved hand, then an arm. Now a large white dress emerged from the gap, and a simple but elegant black shoe stepped out onto the wild grass.

Insects hurried to scuttle away as a tall, humanoid creature with flowing blonde hair stepped into the forest out of thin air. The creature's white dress was adorned with a purple tabard, a subdued red colour highlighting a yin-yang pattern at its base.

"Hmmm..." the creature, a youkai from planet Earth named 'Yukari Yakumo', took in a breath of the ecosystem's miraculously sustained oxygen. Her eyes flickered with a mystical fascination as she briefly scanned her surroundings - but within seconds she quickly regained an eerily inhuman air of composure and hurried away from the gap.

There was no time to gawk; Yukari was expecting company.

A young, bored-looking humanoid with very dark and slightly-wavy brown hair, stepped out behind Yukari. A couple of braids at the back of her hair were tied together with a small, ruby-coloured ribbon, while her ruby-coloured robes had pure-white coloured sleeves and a white trim on the skirt.

She was shielding her eyes cautiously, holding her weapon - a purification stick, defensively at her front. The moment she stepped out though, she reflexively relaxed her arm as her bored expression became something a little more awestruck.

"Okay I admit it, this is actually incredible." the younger one, a probably-human shrine maiden named 'Mirai Hakurei', mumbled. Her wide eyes darted from whatever fascinating thing caught her eye from one second to the next, her jaw struggling to stay closed.

Mirai gently stamped her foot on the earth below her feet, accidentally propelling herself slightly higher. "Wh-whoa!" she exclaimed, as she used her flight ability to regain her balance. "I'm finally experiencing low-gravity for real!"

"Yes yes, but you're not here to sight-see, remember?" Yukari hummed bemusedly, tapping a large, ornate-fan to her chin while her other arm motioned the young human to keep on moving. Mirai stepped carefully, but confidently, towards where Yukari floated, and stood next to her as others made their way out of the deceptively large breach in the air.

The first was a young-looking woman with long, purple hair and long, floppy white ears protruding from the top of her head. She stepped out, then stood straight to the side of the gap with her arms diligently held at her sides.

This creature was another youkai, a rabbit named 'Reisen Udongein Inaba'. She was wearing a white suit jacket with a red tie, and a smart black skirt and tights.

She was followed out by a stern-looking woman with light purple hair, tied with a yellow ribbon into a single, neat ponytail. The woman wore a sensible but practical white-collared red dress with a red strap over her right arm, and an elegant purple belt across her hip.

This woman, a Lunarian princess from Earth's moon named 'Watatsuki no Yorihime', winced as she stepped through the forest, even briefly pinching her nose in repugnance at the unfamiliarly haphazard concoction of smells and life-forms that seemed to dominate every inch of this alien environment.

"I'm suddenly struggling to remember why I _ever_ agreed to this." she sighed to herself as she stepped out and looked around, cautiously holding her free hand on the hilt of still-sheathed sword. "This place is utterly permeated with impurity. Revolting."

Reisen turned her nose up slightly and peered at the Lunarian. "If you need a reminder, this is a matter of Genso-Lunar relations. Inviting someone from the Lunar Capital is crucial to make sure this unfolds without the escalation of unnecessary tensions."

Yorihime, finally distracted enough to take her fingers from her nose, stared at the rabbit and blinked a few times in disbelief. "Reisen? Is that you? A-as in, the _first_ Reisen?" she stumbled over her words a little, as she remembered her sister Toyohime's habit of reusing the names of her old 'pets'.

Reisen nodded firmly, but didn't say anything.

"What exactly are you doing here?" Yorihime darted her eyes over to the others - just Yukari and that unfamiliar young shrine maiden. It seemed like a strange crowd of people.

"I'm here on Lady Eirin's behalf to act as a neutral party between Gensokyo and the Lunar Capital. Lady Eirin would have made more sense of course, but she is still considered a Lunar Capital fugitive. I'm sure you understand."

Yorihime nodded slowly and looked Reisen up and down a little. Reisen cleared her throat.

"Please move out of the way, Lady Yorihime. There's still one more person coming through."

Yorihime shot an irritated look at Reisen, then behind her at the eerie hole in the air, and moved towards the 'cleanest' looking patch of grass she could find. She kept her hand gripped tightly on her sword, her eyes trained curiously on Reisen who was stood unflinchingly next to the gap.

"Ugh, finally." came a tired-sounding voice from within the gap. A very short human girl who looked no-older than seven or eight years old stepped through the gap with exasperation painted on her face.

Her hair was a short, pinkish-red, and it was adorned with a simple, purple flower-shaped ornament. She was wearing gentle yellow robes with a simple light-blue hakama, and despite the alien terrain was merely wearing geta with socks on her feet. She cautiously but confidently wandered towards Yukari, wobbling in the unfamiliar gravity.

Yukari nodded to herself and snapped her hand-fan shut. With this the slice in the air finally sealed, leaving absolutely zero trace that it had ever been there. "Right." the tall golden-haired youkai nudged Mirai. "Well?"

"Uh, yeah." Mirai blinked out of her awestruck trance again and gripped her purification stick. "It's possible there is danger here, so I would recommend that Ajuu stay near someone strong whenever possible." she said, awkwardly trying to sound relatively formal.

"Of course." the red-haired girl, a human named 'Hieda no Ajuu', nodded. "I wasn't born yesterday."

Mirai shrugged, relaxing a little. "Just making sure." she crunched a few steps through the grass and turned around a corner in the trees that appeared very corridor-like. "All right. As much as I'd _love_ to take control of things right away, I think now's a good time for your explanation granny."

A distinct, snorting noise could be heard from Reisen's direction, with Ajuu snickering slightly too. Yorihime's face contorted with a confused disgust at Mirai as Yukari, the apparent recipient of Mirai's disrespectful comment, clapped her hands together and floated a little higher into the air.

"This..." Yukari gestured broadly around her, to the jungle virtually bursting with life all around them, "Is the TORIFUNE. A space station that humans created to test whether or not a self-sustained ecosystem could be built in a confined and isolated area. It may look like a forest you could see on Earth, but we are actually in outer space right now."

The irritation in Ajuu's eyes softened slightly. "It's about time I finally saw space for myself... this isn't how I expected it would go though."

Yorihime interjected, crossing her arms and staring up at Yukari. "The TORIFUNE has been at the Lagrangian point between Earth and the moon for some time now. The Lunar Capital is aware of it of course, but deemed it nonthreatening and decided to leave it undisturbed."

"Indeed." Yukari continued, "And undisturbed it has remained for quite some time now, left here alone by both Earth and the moon."

A sinister, but curious grin spread across the youkai's face.

"However... that recently _changed_."

Many of the eyes watching Yukari widened slightly. A curiously-coloured insect crawling up Mirai's leg was subconsciously swatted off by the shrine maiden.

"I'm starting to understand why you wanted me here." Yorihime clenched her arm. "We did detect that something from Earth had somehow appeared at the Lagrangian point recently, but again deemed it nonthreatening. I must admit I'm curious though... how did an Earthling even _make_ it here?"

"I'm sure you can figure it out." Yukari smirked at the Lunarian. "Mirai, you should be able to as well. I'll give you both a hint - this ship is called 'TORIFUNE' for a very good reason."

"... I see." Yorihime nodded, her confusion subsiding somewhat. She remained annoyed though - she didn't appreciate this Earth youkai's condescending attitude.

Mirai's brow scrunched and she rolled her eyebrows. "Uh, I don't." she admitted. "Ame-no-Torifune is enshrined here, or something? How does that explain anything?"

"You're a lot dumber than that previous Gensokyo shrine maiden I met. And even _she_ was pretty ignorant." Yorihime scoffed. Mirai scowled at her, but Yukari couldn't help but chuckle as Yorihime continued to explain. "Yes, Ame-no-Torifune is enshrined here, but faith in Torifune originates from Earth so she of course must be enshrined on Earth somewhere too."

"And that means...?" Mirai irritably tapped her finger on her arm as Yukari continued to giggle. She was enjoying this _far_ too much, but Yorihime was being surprisingly cooperative herself.

Perhaps she simply enjoyed showing off that she knew more about Shintoism than Gensokyo's head Shinto priestess did.

"It means that the shrines are spiritually connected. It wouldn't be impossible for someone to somehow slip through the barrier of an Ame-no-Torifune shrine on Earth and end up here, either intentionally or by accident." Yorihime went on, standing tall over Mirai - who didn't seem nearly as intimidated by the Lunarian as she should be. "The TORIFUNE being at the Lagrangian point between Earth and the moon; that is, the point at which the Earth and moon's gravitational fields meet, also means that it's the point at which Gensokyo's barrier meets the Lunar Capital's barrier."

Finally, a light turned on in Mirai's eyes. "Oh! And that's why this turned out to be a diplomatic thing? It's an issue that concerns both Gensokyo's barrier and the Lunar Capital's."

"Correct." Yukari nodded calmly and snapped her fan shut, sliding it into her sleeve and floating back towards the ground.

"So, as well as investigating any potential damages or issues caused by the humans who ended up here, this is a matter regarding the shrine of a Shinto god. It of course needs practitioners of Shintoism to handle, and that's you two. I'd like you to strengthen the barrier here to make sure no one can accidentally slip into this place again."

Mirai looked at Yorihime and squinted suspiciously. "_You_? What does a Lunarian like you need with Shintoism?"

"Watch your tongue, foolish girl. Knowledge of the gods is power." Yorihime smirked proudly. "I can call upon any Shinto god's power to become my own, and my ability far surpassed that of the last shrine maiden I met. So... I don't recommend you get on my bad side."

The purple-haired Lunarian stared down Mirai, who simply pouted back at her before turning away. "Whatever." she looked aside to Yukari "Let's get this over with grann- uh, Lady Yukari." and with that, she headed down the corridor towards the shrine.

"At least her spiritual sense isn't as pathetic as her power." Yorihime shrugged, acknowledging that Mirai had correctly sensed the direction of the shrine. "More importantly, you really let that brat call you 'granny' like that?"

"Eh." Yukari shrugged, a carefree smile on her face. "Oh, do exercise caution Mirai," she shouted after the shrine maiden, "some of the creatures here may be dangerous!"

Yorihime put her hands on her hips and sternly continued her staring contest with Yukari, displeased with the youkai's split attention. "And none of that explains why _she_ is here." she gestured bluntly towards Ajuu, who was darting her eyes around and scribbling something down on a small pad. Yorihime scowled, she couldn't help but feel that Yukari was looking down on how important she was. "Have you really roped me into some glorified field trip for _children_!? This child seems utterly _useless_ here!"

Ajuu very briefly turned to Yorihime and raised an eyebrow, before indifferently turning back towards her previous focus and continuing to scribble.

Yukari put a gloved finger to her chin and smiled sweetly, facetiously, at the Lunarian. "Why, are you worried about her?" she giggled. "Hieda no Ajuu is an old friend of mine and is responsible for chronicling Gensokyo's history. Within a controlled and fairly safe environment, I surmised it would be important for her to directly bear witness to a Genso-Lunar diplomatic mission."

Noticing that Ajuu had finally begun to follow after Mirai, Yukari turned away from Yorihime and began to float after them too. "After all... you don't see Genso-Lunar diplomacy very often, do you?"

Yorihime grumbled, evidently giving up on getting any kind of rise or slip-up out of the youkai. She held back as Ajuu and Yukari headed down a dark corridor of arching trees.

"Was she really wrong about the field trip thing?" Ajuu smirked to Yukari as they headed through the darkness. Yukari's calm was infectious - even Ajuu was mostly relaxed despite the strange alien insects brimming about in the underbrush.

"Whatever do you mean, young Ajuu?" Yukari hummed, fanning herself nonchalantly, one leg haughtily crossed over the other as she glided gracefully down the corridor, her long golden hair scattering uncannily behind her in the low-gravity.

Was Yukari ever straight about anything? Ajuu rolled her eyes; she had hoped that Yukari would have softened up somewhat since her previous life, but Yukari still seemed to be the kind of person to speak in riddles whilst simultaneously expecting directness and transparency from others.

"I mean, of course." Ajuu sighed, quickly giving up and entertaining her old friend, "Barriers and boundaries? They're completely your field of expertise. You didn't need any of us here at all, did you? This was simply a wonderful excuse to show your favourite little shrine maiden something exciting."

"Hmmmm?" Yukari giggled and tilted her head. "It's a little more complicated than that. It's true that I wanted this to be a learning experience for Mirai, but coming here alone would have been unwise for many reasons."

"How so?" Ajuu raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"It would almost certainly have worsened Genso-Lunar tensions, for one," Yukari continued, "if the Lunar Capital detected, as they would have, that a youkai had appeared within their barrier without permission. Instead, I saw this as an opportunity to reinforce some kind of diplomatic relation between us."

Ajuu opened her mouth in thought for a few moments "I see, I-..." her thought was interrupted, as she and Yukari found the corridor of trees becoming narrower, increasingly tangled with ivy that had grown particularly wild. Mirai must already have pushed through the thick ivy, as she was nowhere to be seen.

Yukari weaved gracefully between the walls of ivy vines then held them open for Ajuu, and the two slipped through. Yukari left some of the tangled branches methodically suspended out of the way using small slices in the space of the air itself - gaps not dissimilar to the one they had all stepped through to arrive here.

An unnecessary, yet polite gesture for the Lunarian who despised impurity...

... and whom appeared to be taking her time catching up.

Yorihime very cautiously stepped through the entangled corridor of plants and trees, her breathing very steady, her stance trained.

She appeared calm, but anyone who knew her like Reisen did could tell that she was very uncomfortable indeed. She was simply an expert at maintaining composure in the face of 'adversity'.

"So... how have you been?" Yorihime suddenly asked Reisen, partially to distract herself from the untamed life-force brimming all around her.

Reisen had been diligently guarding the back of the group. Her nose twitched curiously and she raised an eyebrow before replying. "Fine. Lady Eirin keeps me busy."

"That's good." Yorihime awkwardly responded. "It's... good to see you again."

'Awkward' definitely described the mood in the air. Reisen wasn't exactly fond of her old Lunarian masters, and despite how much she felt she had grown since she ran away from home a couple of centuries ago her heart still raced with a discomforted anxiety.

Doing her best to maintain her own composure, Reisen shut her eyes gently. "I can't earnestly say the same."

Yorihime's eyes lidded and she irritably rubbed the side of her head. "You've got kind of an attitude now, huh?"

"I've always had this 'attitude'." Reisen flashed a wistful smile. "It's just taken the better part of two centuries for me to feel comfortable enough to actually be myself."

A brief look back at Reisen's expression - she still seemed surprisingly composed. Jittery compared to the enduring calm of a Lunarian, but still... a far cry from the meekness Yorihime's sister used to find so adorable.

"You seem really different, I almost didn't recognise you earlier." Yorihime attempted to keep up the casual conversation.

It was true that both she and her sister had been genuinely fond of Reisen themselves - she was cute, she was soft, she looked really cool in this suit too. She messed up on the tea and snacks often and was hopeless as a foot-soldier, but her cuteness made up for it! Mostly.

"I've just grown like a normal person would." Reisen gently shrugged her shoulders. "Once you've lived on Earth long enough, the eternal perpetuity of the Lunar Capital is what seems strange." she tilted her head and smiled, one of her ears flopping over her face slightly. "I mean, that's the same outfit you've worn regularly since I met you in the 20th Century."

"This is still a relatively new outfit, and I happen to like it a lot." Yorihime scrunched her eyes, seemingly irritated with Reisen's unwanted commentary on her fashions.

The bunny youkai chuckled to herself. "That's exactly what I mean! 100 years really is nothing to someone like you isn't it? But everything is always changing on Earth, everything is always changing for _me_. I finally found the space to grow as an individual in ways I never could have done in the Lunar Capital."

A frown grew on Yorihime's face. "How can you say that, even though my sister and I provided you with _so much_ compared to your brethren?" she clutched her sword, her composure evidently faltering slightly. "You were so pampered in the palace, we even went _easy on you_ because we liked you so much!"

Reisen's arm twitched, a quiet frustration trembling in her fist - but she refused to give in to that fear. "Do you think it made me _happy_ seeing my 'brethren', as you call them, treated like garbage? Like _tools_?"

"Is that not what you are?" Yorihime flashed Reisen an irritated smirk.

"Can you look at me now and honestly _believe that_?" Reisen held a hand to her own chest, her voice escalating slightly. "If the impurity of Earth has taught me anything, it's that I'm an _individual_! Every single moon rabbit is and always _has_ been an individual! But the unchanging purity of Lunarian civilisation keeps them molded in such a way that they have no opportunity to ever question their role as cannon-fodder foot-soldiers to be used to the whims of nobles!"

"Individuality is unnecessary, and the impurity of Earth has twisted your mind with innumerous things that only make your life far more complicated than it needs to be." Yorihime gripped onto her sword as tightly as she gripped her composure. "What good does it do you to be filled with and surrounded by so many imperfections and uncertainties? Knowing your designated role and sticking to it is the best way to live a complete and fulfilled existence."

Yorihime wasn't tempted to start a fight here of all places, but she could hardly believe the insolence of a former-servant to criticise Lunarian society. She felt herself trembling slightly... holding onto her composure shouldn't be this difficult. The impurity in the air here must have been getting to her already.

"But I'm happy." Reisen's breath steadied, her eyes closed gently. "I'm happier than I've ever been. Realising there's more to life, more to my _destiny_, than dying an expendable death on the Lunar Capital's front-lines? Growing into someone I can say for certain is _me_ and _no-one else_...? Has been the most fulfilling thing I've ever experienced.

I am better now, I am stronger now, and I never could have done this if I had never ran away all those years ago."

'Happy', huh.

Yorihime stared down at the hilt of her sword and looked at her quietly quivering arm.

She couldn't hate Reisen, despite everything the rabbit was saying. She had sympathised with Lady Eirin this whole time after all, even though Lady Eirin was a 'traitor'. Even though Lady Eirin had defied her 'role' among Lunarians... and decided to live on Earth.

To live as an individual.

But what did that make Yorihime and her sister? Were they defiant, too, in their sympathy? Or were they denying themselves of their own individuality by refusing to question Lunarian order?

"I..." Yorihime mumbled, briefly spinning around to look at Reisen - who was no longer behind her. After a quick scan around for the bunny, Yorihime noticed Reisen standing underneath a door of ivy, that appeared to be suspended in the air.

"After you." Reisen smiled politely at the Lunarian.

Silently, Yorihime nodded and stepped through into the clearing.

Before them all were two pillars with a piece of wood over the top; a Shinto shrine torii gate. This was it - the entrance to the Ame-no-Torifune shrine.

The others were already waiting in position, young Mirai Hakurei standing on the grounds between the shrine gate and the small shrine itself. Yukari appeared to be chuckling to herself about something Mirai had said, while Ajuu looked on at both of them in disbelief.

As Reisen finally stepped through herself, a gentle snapping sound could be heard as Yukari shut her hand-fan, and the thick wall of ivy flopped back down over the entrance-way.

"What are you all laughing about?" Reisen idly asked as she carefully entered the shrine grounds, followed by Yorihime.

"Oh, it's nothing important." Yukari kept giggling to herself. "Mirai here was asking if it was inconvenient for Lady Torifune to be enshrined on a space station, I just thought it was such a strange thing to ask."

Mirai pouted. "Look, I know she's got shrines on Earth too but I was just _wondering_ okay-!" but upon seeing Yukari's continued giggling, Mirai's face went red and she crossed her arms. "Ugh, whatever!"

Ajuu raised her eyebrow at an amused Yukari. "Do you ever miss how inquisitive and curious your mind was as a child, Yukari?"

"Heavens no, I don't even _remember_ being a child!" Yukari's laughter escalated a little. "Mentoring budding shrine maidens means I get my fill of silly questions and observations once every generation though." she smiled sweetly at the exasperated-looking shrine maiden.

"Ahh shut up!" Mirai pointed her gohei threateningly in Yukari's direction. "You're the real weirdo here, you granny youkai!"

This only made the blonde youkai laugh even louder. "You're a riot today, my dear!" she floated over to Mirai and ruffled her hair condescendingly - yet affectionately. "Being threatened by the Hakurei shrine maiden certainly is nostalgic!"

"I-it's not like I was actually going to-..." Mirai's red face pouted again. "Agh, geez! Let's just get this over with, okay?"

"You're finally speaking my language, shrine maiden." Yorihime flashed Mirai a tired smirk as she stood opposite her on the shrine grounds. "Let's be quick, the insects here are even stranger than the ones on Earth and I would rather not be around them for too much longer."

"That?" Yukari tilted her head pleasantly as she looked at the long, worm-like creature with wings hovering near Yorihime's head. "That's a bird."

Ajuu's eyes lit up and she began to scribble things down again, while Yorihime sighed and got into position. "Shrine maiden, stand opposite me and begin your enchantments."

"I _know_ how to strengthen a barrier, you don't have to tell me." Mirai snapped back. Yorihime opened an eye and grinned to herself as Mirai steadied her position and held her hands out in prayer.

The others looked on from the sidelines as the unlikely duo began ritual chants, Yukari smiling fondly at Mirai.

The shrine maiden's anxiety was palpable, but she seemed to be doing just fine.

And as Ajuu briefly caught a glimpse of Yukari's expression, she couldn't help but sense... pride? The young chronicler smiled to herself... maybe Yukari _had_ gotten a little softer after all. Or perhaps this was simply a side of her that her loved ones saw more often?

The Lunarian's prayers and chants were perfect, free from any kind of flaw or slip-up. Every inflection and enunciation was pristine, her volume being so carefully controlled, every movement of her hands nearly robotic in its accuracy. It was clear that her methodical approach to Shintoism had been practised so thoroughly over her life that there was an almost mathematical quality to them now. She had developed the art of faith into a science.

Mirai wasn't doing too badly at keeping up though. Their prayers differed just slightly where appropriate - one was for the Lunar barrier and the other for Gensokyo's after all. Still, for the most part Mirai was able to match Yorihime's pace and carry her chants with clarity.

And while Yorihime's moves were perfectly, intimidatingly graceful, Mirai's were certainly less robotic. The impurity of her comparatively more emotional performance almost made an impression on the Lunarian herself.

She definitely seemed to be a little better-trained than the last Hakurei shrine maiden Yorihime had met.

...

"All right, everyone gather up..." Ajuu waved her hand a little, gesturing to have everyone move and stand together as she peered into viewfinder of a small camera.

"Tch." Yorihime clicked her tongue as she moved to stand between Mirai and Reisen. "Is this really necessary? Let's just go already."

"Now, now." Yukari fanned herself with a calm smile. "This was a diplomatic mission. Gensokyo and the Lunar Capital amicably resolved a shared issue together! I think a photograph as solid proof of that would be of significant historical importance, no?"

A defeated sigh from Yorihime, who, of course, knew that Yukari was right. Not that _she_ particularly cared about how close the Lunar Capital was to Gensokyo of all places, but not many Lunarians would deny Gensokyo was one of the few places on Earth the Lunar Capital had had to deal with on a surprisingly large number of occasions.

"You too, Ajuu." Yukari slid her fan into her sleeve and beckoned towards the red-haired girl. "That camera of yours has a timer-function, does it not?"

"Uh..." Ajuu moved her face away from the viewfinder and stared at the device in her hands. "I, uh..." she pressed a couple of the buttons on it and stared at the digital screen.

Yukari chuckled and floated over to Ajuu, invasively sidling up next to her and looking at the camera with her. "Goodness, this digital camera is already very old though. But... I suppose you didn't use one of these in your previous life either, did you?"

"In my previous life, digital stuff like this wasn't exactly common in Gensokyo." Ajuu's face reddened with irritation at Yukari's teasing. "Besides, I'm merely here to _chronicle_ history, not be a part of it."

"Nonsense." Yukari pointed her dexterous gloved finger at a couple of the buttons on the camera to show Ajuu how to scroll through the options. "What better proof that you were here to chronicle this, than being in the photo yourself?" she hummed, "Now come along... select this here... timer for thirty seconds should do it... there, there we go."

The blonde youkai delicately plucked a shred of the air apart between her finger and thumb, and tied the camera into the air with ribbons. The camera secured and suspended in place, Yukari gracefully hurried back to the group, followed closely by a slightly embarrassed Ajuu.

"Everyone say _cheese_!" the tall woman chimed as the camera made a distinct, yet fake, snapping sound.

Much to Yorihime's chagrin, the group quickly gathered around the camera to look at the result rather than hurrying their way back. Even Reisen, who had been quite reserved for most of the trip so far, pricked up her ears excitedly and peered at the camera from behind an excited Mirai.

Hesitant to touch the wall of ivy herself, Yorihime hung back and crossed her arms, peering curiously at the group out the corner of her eye.

"You look very cute, Ajuu. A natural in front of the camera." Yukari grinned, ruffling her little friend's head condescendingly.

Ajuu's face went almost as red as her hair. "Sometimes I can't believe I put up with you..."

"Consider yourself lucky you don't have to put up with her _that_ much." Mirai gave a similarly proud grin to the one she wore in the photo. "She's always like this... even in this photo, she looks like she thinks she's better than everyone else."

"My, my... now that's not true at all little one. I'm only better than everyone else _some_ of the time!" Yukari chuckled to herself as the three others suddenly pretended they couldn't hear a word she was saying.

"Are you... doing a peace sign?" Reisen shot an amused smirk at Mirai. "You've been hanging out with that nerdy god from Moriya Shrine too much lately."

"At least I don't look like I'm having a competition to see whether I can stand up straighter than a Lunarian..." Mirai smirked back at Reisen, making the bunny's ears droop as she awkwardly rubbed the side of her head.

Ajuu couldn't help but giggle. "It's a really good photograph. Taking a photo in space... I can't help but feel that this life has already been worthwhile."

Yukari floated backwards towards the doorway. In a strange way, seeing Mirai laughing together with Reisen and Ajuu felt nostalgic for the old youkai. The blonde smiled mischievously at Yorihime, who was trying her best to keep a small smile from spreading across her own face.

Upon noticing Yukari, Yorihime quickly regained her sense of urgency and gestured towards the doorway. "I really can't overstate how bad this sort of environment is for my health, so can we make our way back promptly?"

The blonde youkai sighed and gently shook her head. "Worry not. This place's impurity is unfamiliar to you, but it is less impure than Gensokyo due to the lack of youkai and human influence. If you could visit Eientei in the past, you should be fine here for a little while longer."

"But there _is_ still human influence here," Reisen noted as she approached the two. "And that's why we can't leave just yet, correct? Our mission to check for damages is still incomplete."

"Indeed." Yukari nodded. She raised her hands into the air in front of her and delicately gestured as if she were tying a knot in something - and as she did so the thick vines of ivy tied themselves up around the corridor again.

Mirai quickly stepped through into the corridor and shrugged playfully. "We're all pretty good at looking for out-of-place things, so it shouldn't take long. Don't worry Yorihime." and before she could see Yorihime's reaction to her rudely casual usage of her first name, Mirai ducked away and set to exploring, followed by a curiously excited Ajuu.

Reisen stepped into the corridor after Mirai and grinned bemusedly at Yorihime, then held her hand out to the Lunarian. "Loosen up a little, and you'll find it much easier to help."

It almost sounded ironic coming from this new, more sensible and snappy Reisen... but at the same time, maybe Reisen loosening up was what made it easier for her to be snappy in the first place.

Yorihime sighed a defeated smile herself, and stepped through after Reisen.

Finally, Yukari glided back into the corridor before pausing. She turned towards the shrine gate, her eyes transfixed on it. She reached a hand out to touch it, but hesitated.

For a moment, her eyes glazed over in thought and a wistful smile spread across her face.

Yukari took a deep breath in, and calmly shut her eyes. As she turned away and floated back down the corridor, the thick wall of ivy vines tumbled, concealing the Ame-no-Torifune shrine once again.

* * *

While Ajuu was indeed very good at noticing things, she appeared interested in almost everything that moved. There was an abundance of strange sub-species of insects and plants here that were very different to anything she had seen in Gensokyo - and some of the birds in the space station were especially strange.

Of course she would remember, in detail, everything she had seen here. That was something she could do better than anyone. But there was just so _much__,_ and she wanted to start writing right away!

Mirai and Reisen had bigger fish to fry though - and speaking of fish, Reisen could definitely hear the trickling of water coming from somewhere.

While Mirai could just about make out the sound, it was only thanks to Reisen's large ears that they were able to find it so quickly. The plant-life around the stream had grown so chaotic that there were only a few narrow spaces that the stream was visible from.

"There definitely appear to be strange bacteria and aquatic lifeforms living down there." Reisen noted with fascination, her eyes wide and her nose twitching as she tried to peek through gaps in roots in the undergrowth. "Probably mostly insects, but still..."

She felt a hand on her shoulder as Mirai tugged her back. "Okay, but I don't think we should interfere. It doesn't seem like any humans have tried to get into the water, so..."

Reisen grinned at Mirai's surprisingly decisive maturity and nodded, standing up straight again and looking around them. They had come quite a ways from the shrine and the room they had entered from, and the plant-life appeared in even more exciting colours.

"Usually, brightly-coloured or patterned plants are a warning sign to potential predators." came Ajuu's curious voice as she approached the pair. She was still scribbling notes down on a pad, but carefully minded where she walked. "So it's possible the animals around here are a little more dangerous, and the plants have evolved to adapt to that."

"It's incredible how quickly things have evolved, actually. Didn't humans only give up on this place within the last century?" Mirai stared up at the ceiling of tree foliage with wonder. "I wonder if it's because the small, isolated ecosystem means mutations catch on more quickly and evolution is more competitive?"

Ajuu giggled. "That might make some sense. You're certainly more scientifically-minded than your predecessors."

"Well, I always feel embarrassed that my predecessors didn't know stuff that's common sense in the outside world. Even the rival shrine makes it sound like common sense, so I can't let that continue..." she mused, her voice trailing off as she continued to observe the differences between plants from a safe distance.

"Definitely more of a nerd than her predecessors." Reisen giggled - but as she breathed in she caught a whiff of something and her ears pricked up. "O-oh!" she shut her eyes and twitched her nose, poking her face out slightly. "There's... there's a different kind of scent around this area." she mumbled and headed off in the direction of the stream's source, where the jungle appeared even more wild.

She was briskly followed by Mirai and Ajuu, with Yorihime following silently behind the group.

Actively sniffing, Reisen made her way through the trees, pushing aside gigantic leaves and strangely shaped cobwebs until she found herself in a small clearing. Short trees with branches that slumped to the ground filled the area.

And there was something _living_ in there.

"Careful." came Yukari's voice, as she floated into the clearing from seemingly out of nowhere. "We mustn't interfere, and there may be dangerous creatures here."

"Then leave this to me." said Reisen. "I'm the most experienced here at evading attacks, and I'm good with animals too."

Yukari nodded, but remained close by.

Ajuu was stood to the side of the area, Mirai and Yorihime guarding her, as Reisen carefully pushed some of the branches to the side and ducked underneath.

She was greeted by some panicked squeaks, squeaks that sounded like tiny attempts at growls. As Reisen's eyes adjusted to the light, she could make out a group of small balls of fluff - or rather, a litter of what appeared to be kittens.

The rabbit's eyes widened and she backed away slightly, making sure not to appear threatening. With a fascinated gasp, Yukari closed in on the litter too, her eyes practically shimmering.

"Goodness, look at all of you! You are _beautiful_!" Yukari exclaimed in hushed tones. The small creatures reared back and hissed repeatedly, instinctively fearing the golden-haired beast.

"What? What are you looking at?" Mirai called over, but a wave of a hand from Yukari quickly told her to keep her voice down.

"There... aren't any mammals like this on Earth, are there Yukari? These are mutants." Reisen thought aloud, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and concern.

"They look like some kind of chimera, do they not?" Yukari noted. "Like a science experiment gone wrong." she pointed to the little wing-like protrusions coming from the shoulders of these cat-like creatures.

"Is that what they are? Science experiments?"

"I don't think so." Yukari gestured for Reisen to move away and used some gaps to suspend the branches away from the creatures, so the others could get a quick look at them too. "I think they may have just evolved this way, but it truly is incredible."

Ajuu and Mirai's eyes lit up with awe. "Amazing..." the two said, almost in sync. "They're so _cute_!" Mirai beamed, clenching her fists. "I... I want to pet them, but..."

"Yes, no interference." Yukari nodded.

Yorihime didn't really get what all the fuss was about, and remained on-guard. "These monsters aren't what we're looking for, correct? The humans don't appear to have caused them any harm."

Yukari nodded. "That's right. And the mother of these kittens is presumably a territorial, predatory creature... so be on your guard."

The group covered up the kittens again and stood still, all of them pausing and steadying themselves for the mother to be nearby...

... But nothing.

"Isn't that _strange_, Lady Yukari?" Yorihime noted, calming her grip on her sword. "A litter of young monsters left alone for a group of dangerous people like us to find, and their territorial beast of a mother nowhere to be seen?"

Yukari bit her lip.

"What's with this weird mood in the air..." Mirai mumbled. "What now? Are we giving up?"

"Well..." Yukari stared up at the bits of metal ceiling peeking out from the mass of plant-life. "If the mother isn't around, we may be close to finding out how exactly those humans interfered with this place."

Ajuu clutched her pad tightly in her hands. "S-so... the damage the humans caused may have been..."

"I don't know." Yukari smiled at Ajuu with an uncharacteristically apologetic expression. "One would hope that isn't the case, hm?"

Everyone looked strangely helpless and mopey. Yorihime crossed her arms and looked over to Reisen, whose ears were drooped solemnly. Why was the life of an unknown creature at all important?

Nonetheless, and for whatever reason, it seemed like it _was_ important. And perhaps all of them had their own, individual reasons for thinking it was important.

"...We just need to find out how those humans interfered with the ecosystem here, right?" Yorihime clenched her arm and sighed, the golden bangles on her wrist clanging together. Everyone in the group looked curiously towards her as she shut her eyes calmly and cleared her mind.

... Cleared it as much as she could, of course. The impurity of this place was so... so _loud_. So much thumping, pulsing, scuttling. She could feel the presence of lesser fairies around somewhere, too... accursed things. She could still remember how much damage mere fairies had caused in the Lunar Capital that time...

But as Yorihime's mind increasingly focused on the purity of her own soul, there was a distinct siren of impurity that screamed more loudly at her than anything else on the space station. A feeling of disgust that was particularly difficult to shake.

"... This way." Yorihime stated, and began to march with conviction deeper into the jungle.

Mirai and Reisen quickly scrambled after her, with Ajuu and Yukari following at a more careful pace.

The previously cautious Lunarian appeared driven, but her shoulders were relaxed as she weaved through the jungle's overgrown plants, ducked below nests of insects and birds, focused on her goal without being overwhelmed by disgust.

Reisen couldn't help but huff a smile to herself. It seemed that Yorihime had finally 'loosened up' a little after all.

Even if they would be going home before too long, this strange 'diplomatic mission' finally seemed to have the unlikely group working earnestly towards a common goal.

Reisen noticed Mirai's pace slow, as Yorihime stood at the edge of another clearing. "We're here." the Lunarian stated, as she cautiously wandered into the area and the others followed.

This clearing appeared to be more like a 'room' than any of the places they had been to so far. There were many hatches in the walls, hanging open with bits of plant-life growing around them. Still, the metallic shelves and cases everywhere indicated that this was a part of the space station that previously held samples of living things.

Living things that had all since escaped their cases and had either grown freely throughout the jungle, or had been gobbled up and made extinct by the harshly competitive ecosystem.

This also appeared to, somehow, be the origin of the stream of water running through much of the forest.

"Look," Mirai turned to the other two and gestured at the ceiling, "See those pipes? There are vents all over the jungle taking in the condensation from the forest's humidity and vapour. The condensation gathers into liquid again, then runs through these pipes to form the 'start' of the stream."

"That's admittedly pretty clever." Reisen poked her chin as she followed the pipes to the end of the room. "So even though the station's electrical systems have been offline for some time now, this is designed well enough that the ecosystem has become completely self-sustaining without it."

Mirai nodded before looking over to Yorihime, who had her eyes transfixed at the head of the stream. The shrine maiden blinked a little, before she finally spotted what Yorihime was staring at.

There, lying near the point the pipes were gushing out clean water, was a large feline creature. It was laying slightly concealed by the rich riverside plant-growth, but its heavy rumbling breathing made its presence easy to notice.

It had dark brown, patterned fur, with intimidatingly sharp fangs. Its paws were also large, more like a panther's than a cat's. One of the creature's paws, though... the one that was bathing under the flow of fresh water, was significantly bigger than the other.

The dark wings on its back that appeared too small to be capable of flight gave it away; this was the mother 'chimera'.

"O-oh man..." Mirai stepped back slightly. "It's b-bigger than I thought..."

But every woman in the room could sense it... this 'monster' wasn't going to be much of a threat.

"Is this how you could find it, Lady Yorihime?" Reisen asked, tilting her head with concern at the creature with one hand held on her chest.

Yorihime nodded silently, as Ajuu and Yukari approached them from behind. Yukari kept on going without hesitation, raising her arms to pull back the bushes and plants from around the creature with her gaps.

The beast let out a deep, but weak, growl, and reared back slightly as Yukari approached. It bared its fangs at her, but Yukari knelt down into the dirt at the stream's edge.

"Hello, there... you beautiful thing..." Yukari smiled gently down at the creature, which continued to growl weakly at her. Fearlessly, Yukari removed the long white glove from her right arm and held it out towards the beast.

The pace of Yukari's heartbeat didn't change, and she gently closed her eyes to show her trust in the creature. The beast stared, curious, at Yukari for a little while, then took in her scent.

For some reason, while the creature remained anxious, it pushed its nose weakly to Yukari's palm. Yukari then brought her other, gloved hand, and gently stroked the creature's head in her arms.

"Wh-whoa..." Mirai held her hand over her mouth. "I... didn't know you were this good with animals granny."

"Oh... you pick up a thing or two when you live as long as I have." Yukari mused, though her expression was quite sombre. She reached her gloved hand over to the creature's enlarged paw. The creature hissed loudly. "Shhh, shh shh shh..." Yukari hummed, comforting its head.

Mirai approached carefully and knelt down to look at its paw. It looked infected, large, red, with thick pus-filled growths between its toes. The skin on the pads of its paw was dry and inflated, but its entire arm seemed peculiarly limp too.

"Is it... dying?"

Yukari's expression didn't change. "It could be."

"How the hell did this happen to it!?" Mirai's voice escalated.

"Mirai, quiet." Yukari snapped calmly.

"It's the impurity." Yorihime stood at Mirai's side, her arms crossed. "That creature has been stained with foreign blood... which means foreign bacteria. Foreign infection. Complex germs from Earth that nothing in this isolated jungle has evolved to be able to conquer yet."

Ajuu peeked her head around Yukari, but gave the creature a wide berth. "So... the humans didn't attack it, but it attacked the humans and got infected by their unfamiliar blood? That's... ironic."

Yukari's eyes were transfixed on the creature's paw. With a moment of composed determination, she fearlessly held the creature's palm and dexterously plucked a small piece of fabric from in between its toes using a gap, while it hissed and cried at her in protest.

The youkai held the piece of fabric, a small shred of purple cloth, away from the creature. The group took a brief look at it, as infected blood haemorrhaged from where the cloth had been wedged.

Yorihime held her wrist over her nose in disgust. "Yeah, there's human blood caked into that. It reeks with a putrid concoction of Earth germs and alien germs... a life-threatening impurity."

"Well..." Ajuu tilted her head. "We're... going to save her, aren't we? We came to investigate the damage the humans caused?"

"This damage wasn't caused by humans." Reisen noted. "The creature is paying a terrible price for attacking an unknown threat to its territory... but sometimes, nature is simply cruel like that."

Mirai looked at Yukari, her eyes steeped in melancholy. "Grann- uh... Yukari. What do we do?"

"Mm..." Yukari murmured quietly, still staring wistfully at the creature, still holding it gently as its heavy breathing calmed and it rested into her. "This is an exercise in Genso-Lunar diplomacy. I will leave judgement up to the officials."

"Then..." Mirai clenched her fist to her chest, and looked at Yorihime for a moment. She forced herself to swallow her doubts. "I-I... the proper thing is to not interfere, right?"

Yukari shot a look to Yorihime. The Lunarian was also torn up - albeit for very different reasons.

"To remove this creature of its impurities might help it to survive and limit the impurities in this environment... and that's what we would do in the Lunar Capital." Yorihime sighed and clenched her arm again. "But yes... this is a matter of Genso-Lunar relations. We had an unspoken rule to not interfere with the TORIFUNE. Changing that would set a precedent for interfering with all non-severe issues within our shared boundaries."

"I see." Yukari nodded slowly, cupping the creature's chin in her hand. "So you've made your decisions."

Yorihime nodded apprehensively "Just... let nature take its course. A human ending up here was an accident, just like all the accidental impurities that had led to these creatures' evolution so far. Officially, this is the most proper thing to do."

Mirai looked to Yorihime, then to Yukari. She bit her lip, but nodded firmly. "Y-yeah. The strongest bacteria here will eventually survive and break down the foreign bacteria, and evolution will continue. The offspring will find ways to fend for themselves and evolve in new ways without their mother. It's... the 'proper' thing to do."

"Well then..." Reisen wistfully looked at the creature once more, before turning away and straightening her back again. "I suppose that's it. Mission complete, everyone."

Without further words, and with heavy, complicated feelings in their hearts; Reisen, Ajuu and Yorihime began to head back through the jungle towards the clearings they had entered from.

"Granny...?" Mirai bent down and gently placed a hand on Yukari's shoulder.

"Run along, my dear." Yukari turned her neck and beamed a plastic smile at the shrine maiden. "You did magnificently today."

Yukari had always been a very strange youkai, but Mirai had never seen her with these kinds of expressions before. The shrine maiden hesitated, but turned and followed after the others.

The blonde youkai was left alone, sat in the dirt with the infected beast. She held the creature's face delicately in her hands, and gently leant their foreheads together.

"You foolish, passionate thing...

On behalf of the childish human who so rudely invaded your territory uninvited... I am so, truly sorry..."

She knew it was time to leave. She had prepared an exit for the others in anticipation of this, but... she struggled to move. She just couldn't believe that this 'diplomatic mission' had ended on such an... unsatisfying conclusion.

Without realising it, she had been comforting the creature for a good few minutes already.

Or... perhaps she was comforting herself.

It wasn't until Yukari felt a gentle hand on the top of her head, that she snapped free from her momentary stupor.

* * *

The room the group had entered from had certainly seen more outside-disturbances in the past few hours than it had in decades - so what's one more oddity to add to that?

The air in the centre of the room quivered, as if anticipating something's arrival. The insects fled, the vapour parted, even the very molecules of air themselves appeared to give way as a woman who wasn't truly there appeared to descend lightly from outside of reality.

While foolish to even entertain such a ridiculous possibility at first, there certainly was a woman standing in the clearing now. A woman who had most definitely, probably, not been there a few moments ago - at least not in this corporeal form. She breathed out deeply and shook down her long, red robes, before tilting her head to make sure it wasn't stuck in anything.

"Huh. That actually went pretty well."

The woman took a few steps, then stood still. She hopped slightly on the spot, and a little smile scattered across her face as she enjoyed the strange gravity. "This is definitely different... actually, this whole place is kind of amazing..." she couldn't help but mumble to herself.

After spending a short while getting her bearings, she began to stride gracefully in the direction of the thickest part of the jungle - only to be met by a group of other women just emerging from it.

"Whooa! Look who turned up!" Reisen beamed excitedly as she approached the clearing, heading the group. The woman held her hand out with a friendly wave. Reisen approached the woman and gave her outstretched hand a high-five. "No one told me you'd be coming!"

"Yeah, I just kinda felt like it." the woman shrugged a smile as Ajuu traipsed past her, distractedly scribbling something down on her pad.

"Hey Akyuu." the woman said with a playful grin.

"You're doing that on purpose at this point, aren't you?" Ajuu shot the woman an irritated glare. "Even if you thought it was funny the first few times, people have been doing that kinda thing to me for centuries so I-"

The woman waved her hands in front of her defensively and laughed awkwardly. "Y-yeah, you've made your point. Apologies."

Ajuu squinted at the older-looking woman and stuck her tongue out, before wandering closer to where they entered from and squatting down to write.

"Venerable elder!" Mirai shouted enthusiastically as she jumped to hug the woman - who pulled her into a hug despite looking at her with irritation.

"Please don't call me th- oh." she winced, glancing back at Ajuu who was now grinning mischievously back at her. "Okay, yeah... I probably deserved that." the woman smiled awkwardly and ruffled Mirai's hair affectionately, as Yorihime approached and studied the newcomer up and down.

Mirai straightened her hair out, suddenly resenting her wilful display of affection for the woman. "Uhh... what are you doing here anyway? _How_ did you get here?"

"Oh, you know." the woman proudly placed her fists on her hips. "Training. Or something. Or maybe I was just bored? Anyway, last time I tried to move out of phase with reality like that I ended up lodged into the side of some palace in the Lunar Capital, so I'd say this time was a success!"

Yorihime's attention snapped to the woman as she blinked, her teeth clenching and her hair standing on end slightly, "W-wait, that was _you_!?" she sputtered, remembering a strange-shaped hole appearing in the Lunar Capital a few months ago.

"Yeah... whoops." the woman scratched her face awkwardly. "But! I kinda expected you'd be here, so I brought a bunch of snacks from Gensokyo to say sorry." she reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out an assorted bundle of delights. It looked hastily thrown-together, but there was a strange sense of earnestness to it. "It's good to see you again, by the way."

"Uh..." Yorihime stared at the large bundle of snacks she'd been passed as a peace-offering, then back at the tall, red-robed woman. The simplicity of her long, deep-brown hair was distracted by a subtly majestic red and white ribbon, and her hazel-red eyes betrayed a budding wisdom that Yorihime admittedly didn't recognise in anyone she knew from Gensokyo. "Do I... know you?"

"Very funny." the woman with the red-white ribbon chuckled to herself, as a tear in space gently unfurled itself open further back in the room.

It was quiet, but had enough presence for everyone to notice it. "That'd be our ride home." Reisen noted, her ears pricking up. "... Kinda weird for it to open when Yukari's still not back."

Mirai stared towards the jungle with a concerned expression, as Reisen, Ajuu and Yorihime began to make their way towards the gap to leave. "Are you gonna go find granny?" Mirai asked the woman.

"I guess I'll have to. It's not like she can stay here, right? That'd be bad for uh... Genso-Lunar relations or something." she shot a look over to Yorihime, who just shrugged curiously.

"Yeah." Mirai pouted and crossed her arms, still feeling like something just wasn't adding up. "What aren't you guys telling me though? This wasn't just some 'diplomatic mission', right? I've never seen granny looking this sad before."

"Sad?" the woman tilted her head curiously and put a fist to her chin in thought. Mirai looked at her earnestly, now even more confused.

The red-white fondly ruffled Mirai's hair again in reassurance, "Well, maybe she'll tell you about it sometime. If you're _really_ lucky, or she's _really_ drunk." then after a wink, she turned and began to head into the jungle.

"All right." Reisen spoke up with an official-sounding tone, clapping her hands together. "Time to go, everyone. Those two can make it back themselves."

Ajuu was quick to step back through the gap, and Mirai politely yet hurriedly bowed at Yorihime before stepping through herself, but Reisen and Yorihime awkwardly hung about the exit.

Neither of them wanted to leave without saying anything, but neither knew what to say.

"... You'll probably want to come visit Lady Eirin at some point, won't you?" Reisen broke the silence, fearlessly staring at a Yorihime who was hesitant to stare her back.

Yorihime nodded slowly. "It feels like it hasn't been that long, but I guess it has. Maybe we will."

"Send Lady Toyohime my resentful regards." Reisen added, with a blunt smirk.

"Was the 'resentful' bit really necessary?" Yorihime scowled, while Reisen nodded confidently and without hesitation. She gave Reisen a firm, yet playful, punch in the shoulder - and somehow, to Reisen, this felt like the most Yorihime had ever treated her as anything like an 'individual'.

Reisen smiled weakly, and ducked into the gap... before pulling out slightly with one more question. "Did you... really not recognise her? Did she really never make that big an impression on you?"

Yorihime crossed her arms. The woman they had just met wasn't like anyone from Gensokyo she had met before... she reminded Yorihime of someone, but...

... But then again, she had barely recognised Reisen either when they first arrived here either.

"Wait... you mean, that was-...!?"

...

After gliding her way through the jungle, the red-robed woman came across a clearing - a place where the overgrowth of nature appeared to mingle with what little sign there was left that this trojan green asteroid had ever been a man-made object.

And there, sulking in the corner at the head of the stream, was the picturesque and melancholy image of Yukari Yakumo. Uncharacteristically, the youkai had her arms clung comfortingly around a huge, cat-like monster that the red-white didn't even recognise.

The woman approached Yukari from behind and gently rested her hand on the youkai's head, giving it an affectionate stroke. Upon feeling the hand, Yukari arose slightly from her stupor and looked up.

"Reimu..." Yukari muttered, a wistful smile spreading across her face. Reimu could have sworn she saw traces of tears in the corners of Yukari's beautiful golden eyes.

"Hey..." Reimu smiled gently back, kneeling down next to the youkai and giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "How'd the uh... 'diplomatic mission' go?"

"We did the proper thing." Yukari replied with an emotionless clarity.

"Hm... did you now?" Reimu frowned at the youkai's strange attitude. Normally, even if doing the 'proper thing' was something morally reprehensible, Yukari never looked like... this.

The youkai's gaze remained on the strained breathing of the beast before her. "How did you get here, anyway?"

"Fantasy Nature. What's up with you though? I can't remember the last time I saw you looking this melancholy."

Yukari felt for Reimu's hand and rubbed her thumb along Reimu's knuckles, seeking some simple comfort. "Mm..." she mumbled, gently letting go of the creature she had been cradling, and leaving it resting in the damp, rich soil.

The monster's breathing had calmed, but it was muted. Faint.

She was dying.

"You know the feeling you get when you've been waiting for something for a really, really long time..." Yukari began, as she backed away from the creature, but remained transfixed on it as Reimu held her hand. "And then, when it's finally here, it passes almost instantly. Not only that, but it ends in a way you didn't expect. Then it's just... over. And you suddenly don't know what to do with yourself.

It's like a piece of your heart that's been filled with a comforting expectation for such a long time is just... gone. There's only a chasm left."

Reimu could only help but look at Yukari, wide-eyed. "It's not like you to speak in such a vulnerable way."

"I'm only allowing myself to be openly vulnerable like this because it's you, dear." Yukari squeezed her thumb into Reimu's palm for a brief moment. "Though I confess, personal feelings got in the way of my better-judgement more often than I would like to admit today."

Reimu blinked a strong determination into her face and grabbed the youkai by the hand, pulling her to a stand. Even when Yukari was all weird and mopey, she was still a fair amount taller than the elder priestess. "Unfortunately I don't think I can genuinely relate to your feelings... I haven't lived nearly as long as you have. But don't tell me that this cat thing was the _real reason_ you brought everyone here today?"

"What do you mean?" Yukari smiled wistfully at Reimu out the corner of her eyes. "I was being truthful when I said our goal was to investigate the damage caused by humans, no?"

"Tch." Reimu raised an eyebrow and frowned. "There's the obtuse Yukari I know and love. You're not going to tell me the significance of this monster here any time soon, are you?"

Finally giggling weakly again, Yukari turned away from the creature with a bitter smile. "Is an old youkai not allowed a few secrets?"

"If I believed that you of all people weren't allowed secrets, there's no way I'd have _willingly_ spent so much time with you for the past century." Reimu effortlessly bantered back, her fists on her hips. Yukari stared dotingly at Reimu for a moment, as a stuttered breath, somewhere between a laugh and a whimper, escaped her throat.

Reimu pulled her into a reassuring hug.

"Leave this to me and get yourself home, okay?" Reimu muttered as she held Yukari's head comfortingly.

Yukari shook her head against Reimu's, "No... you mustn't. Genso-Lunar relations will be damaged if we go against what was agreed today."

"Once you leave, the diplomatic team will have all left the station. No one is left to record anything. None of them, including you, will have gone against what was 'agreed' today. As far as anyone else is concerned, anything that happens in this jungle from now on is just the 'forces of nature' in action. Please... trust me."

"Forces of nature, hm?" Yukari chuckled weakly to herself, as she clutched for comfort at the backs of Reimu's robes and pressed her nose into the priestess' shoulder. "Your penchant for bending the rules will begin to rival mine if you're not careful."

"Knowing when to bend the 'rules' when it was harmless and appropriate was a skill I _learnt_ from you, you know." Reimu gave the youkai a tight squeeze and kissed the taller woman on the side of her head. "Someday, Mirai will probably learn the same thing. She's still at that age where she's preoccupied with doing the 'proper' thing, rather than the 'right' thing."

Yukari pulled away slightly from Reimu and tilted her head, staring adoringly at the dark-haired woman. "Please don't say you learnt how to be soft from _me _of all people. I have an image to uphold."

Reimu smiled back and gave Yukari's shoulder a comforting rub. "All right. If you want to play dumb, I'll keep on being the only one who knows how huge a softy you are." she nodded confidently.

Responding with a knowing nod of 'see you later', Yukari turned away and began to glide gracefully back in the direction they entered the jungle from.

"Reimu... Thank you. Earnestly."

"I know! I'll have you owe me one." Reimu smirked with a raised eyebrow. "I'll keep this secret for you if you tell me about another, unrelated one."

Yukari stared at Reimu, wide-eyed for a moment... before a warm smile spread across her cheeks and a light chuckle escaped her lips. It was as if she could feel a weight lifting from her chest.

"All right... that sounds fair." she winked and waved teasingly, before continuing to drift lightly away.

Reimu let out a loud, heavy sigh as the blonde youkai slipped through a slit in space itself, and disappeared from sight. "Honestly." she said with her hands on her hips. Reimu still had a somewhat difficult trip home ahead of her, too.

The red-white elder knelt down in the soil, near the infected, dying monster. She wrapped her arms around the beast - and a gentle, white glow began to emit quietly from her chest.

"Poor stubborn woman... always having to put on an official face after all these years, even during the times she wants so badly to be a softy.

Lucky for her that her wife doesn't care about that kinda thing, right?" Reimu grinned reassuringly at the cat-like chimera. The beast stared deeply into Reimu's eyes, unblinking.

"Say, do you know her? She seemed to know you. I just can't keep up with all of her weird acquaintances."

The beast's eyes flickered, and she breathed out deeply. The creature's now-steady breathing became something of a deep, quiet, purr. Reimu gently glided her left hand over the huge, inflated paw, and supported it tenderly with her right hand.

"Mm... nevermind huh. Let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

**x**

* * *

_Glossary:  
torifune - 'Ame-no-Torifune' is a Shinto god of ships. In the future of Touhou canon they are worshipped for safe space travel, so the 'TORIFUNE' space station was named after them and they are enshrined within the space station._  
_hakama - A traditional Japanese clothing that is tied at the waist and falls to the ankles._  
_geta - a traditional Japanese footwear that look like flip-flops. Sandals with elevated wooden bases._  
_gohei - A wooden wand used in Shinto rituals by a shrine maiden. Its usual purpose is cleansing, blessing and exorcism. In Touhou, Reimu and Sanae both use gohei as weapons for youkai extermination._  
_chimera - A mishmash of different creatures._  
_fairy - in Touhou, fairies are the source of life-force and nature. The rampant impurity of fairy life-force caused great danger to the Lunar Capital in Touhou 15 (Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom)_  
_Fantasy Nature - Reimu's unique ability to accomplish what is necessary through some kind of sixth sense. Sort of like an incredibly potent luck._

* * *

_**(Final Notes: I got really bad writer's block and insecurity after I finished my Reimu/Sanae story. Writing this fairly long one-shot helped me get out of my funk a little, and I'm really happy with it. I think I'm ready to take a break from Touhou for now though.**_

_**I set myself a couple of challenges with this one as always. I wanted the OCs I introduce to feel a little more natural (actually giving them names and personalities) and I wanted to try writing a group of characters where I give each and every one of them a decently sized role. I think Ajuu's role doesn't match up to the others, but I'm still happy with how it turned out.**_

_**The story came from this concept: Yukari spent centuries looking forward to the possibility of reuniting with the chimera that attacked "her". A way for her to indulge in the distant memory of her youth as a human, and her time with Renko. Proof that her life as "Maribel Hearn" really happened. Only, what was waiting for her completely subverted her expectations.**_

_**Her expectation was that she was "good" during her life as Maribel, as opposed to the often-cruel person she had become. Then, over a millennia later, she discovers that Maribel had accidentally almost caused the death of an innocent creature that existed nowhere else in the universe. Considering Yukari works so hard to prevent the extinction of youkai, it left Yukari in a vulnerable state of shock that even her wife had almost never seen.**_

_**I didn't mention the above in the actual non-omniscient narration, because I felt it would negate some of Yukari's in-universe mystique to explicitly mention or directly reference the events of Trojan Green Asteroid as if she had been there.**_

_**I also finally, *finally* got to write something with a little more Yuka/Reimu. Leaving hints throughout the story that Mirai actually had a familial relationship with Yukari was a lot of fun. Calling her granny in a disrespectful way? Plot twist: she calls her granny because they're actually related!**_

_**What did you think of Mirai? The "probably-human" shrine maiden is related to Yukari, making her "probably-youkai" too. A part-human part-youkai Hakurei shrine maiden was a fun way for me to illustrate what I like to imagine as an era of continued peace between humans and youkai in Gensokyo. I chose her name because it has a similar simple feel to "Reimu", but also seemed appropriately cheesy for a Hakurei shrine maiden who feels her predecessors weren't sciency or forward-looking enough. Of course, the fact this is a story set in the future gives her name a little comedic-appropriateness too.**_

_**As for how Reimu is still alive and kicking over a century later? I'll leave that to your imaginations. It's just nice to have a truly happy ending sometimes, I think.**_

_**Writing this strange "group" was extremely fun. I've never given Reisen a big role before and had never written Yorihime, so writing about how Reisen had changed since Yorihime had last seen her and having them both all interact with Yukari, "Akyuu" and Reimu's distant successor was all just great.**_

_**Reisen became more comfortable in herself, got over a lot of her trauma, and was weighed down by less inhibitions, she became... very different. A century is an entire lifetime for a human, so I imagine Reisen grew a lot during her time in Gensokyo. Some of you may have noticed she's actually a little reminiscent of Dream Reisen - and that was very intentional.**_

_**I hope my portrayal of Yorihime was okay, writing a Lunarian official was a challenge on its own. It was tons of fun though, and her role ended up being fairly important. She's still very much a Lunarian, but seeing how much Reisen changed made her think about change herself.**_

_**As always, I look forward to any feedback you might have, and I really hope you enjoyed it!)**_


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